Buck Showalter seems to have finally diverted from his infatuation with putting Joey Rickard and his just-barely-above-.300 on base percentage at the top of the Orioles lineup. Rickard, who started off the season playing very well but has since regressed to the mean, has hit leadoff just once in the past week. Instead, Buck has decided to give Adam Jones a shot in the leadoff role, where he had started just 21 games in his 11-year career prior to last week.

Jones, whose .287 OBP is the worst among the team’s regular starters, is arguably an even worse leadoff option than Rickard. He has struggled to find his consistency this season and is not as fast as he once was. I can’t say I blame Buck for experimenting, though, as the O’s clearly needed some things shaken up after an awful series in Houston that saw them strike out an MLB record 52 times. In fact, I applaud him for realizing that a change was necessary.

The Orioles have not yet announced the starting lineup for tonight’s game, the second of four with the Boston Red Sox. I expect it to be similar to what we have seen recently, with lefty Eduardo Rodriguez taking the mound for Boston, I don’t think Hyun Soo Kim or Ryan Flaherty will be in the lineup. I expect to see Nolan Reimold and Paul Janish get their respective nods tonight.

As for the leadoff role, while Jones is certainly an interesting change of pace, the player who SHOULD be digging into the batters box to begin the home half of the first inning is one who many see as a number three hitter.

Manny Machado is, without a doubt, the best hitter on the team. He leads the Orioles in most major offensive categories, trailing only Mark Trumbo in home runs and RBI. He is the best table-setter on the roster, but his talents are being misused.

The benefit of having such a potent offense is the added bonus of flexibility. In the middle of the order, guys like Trumbo and Chris Davis are more than capable of driving in runs. Having Machado at the top of the order would generate more runs, and @OriolesJesus knows this struggling offense needs a jolt.

As I already mentioned, many would argue that Machado is best suited for the third spot in the lineup. While I would generally agree with that based solely on his skill set, for the Orioles, I would have to argue otherwise. Here are my reasons…

1 – Manny gets on base more than anybody.

“But, Ryan, Hyun Soo Kim has a .448 on base percentage!” Yes, I know, but Hyun Soo Kim also has just 57 plate appearances. Machado consistently gets on base at a high rate. In the leadoff role, Machado would give the Orioles a better opportunity to score early and often. I’m pretty sure getting on base helps to generate more runs, but what do I know?

2 – Scoring runs is just as important as driving them in.

One big argument in favor of Machado batting in the middle of the order is that it would pad his RBI numbers. While that is certainly not untrue, we need to realize that crossing the plate is just as important as providing the base hit that drives the runner home. The Orioles have enough bats in the lineup to push Machado across the plate when he gets on base.

3 – He hits a ton of doubles.

Machado’s 20 doubles so far this season are fewer than only David Ortiz. A leadoff double would give the Orioles three chances to plate a first inning run with a single. That’s a lot of chances.

4 – It would give him more opportunities to show off his speed.

After stealing 20 bases last season, Machado is 0-for-3 in stolen base attempts this season. While his baserunning certainly needs to improve, he is still more than capable of recording double-digit steals. Getting on base to start the game would give him more opportunities to swipe a bag or two.

5 – Leading off is where he is the most comfortable and focused.

Machado said last season, when he started 111 games as a leadoff hitter and thrived in the role, that he feels more locked in at the plate when he bats leadoff. It gives him the confidence to start the game off on the right foot.

6 – and the most important – It would give him more plate appearances.

Over the course of the season, the #1 hitter will hit about 20 more times than the #2 hitter. Do we not want Manny Machado, the best hitter on the team and one of the best in the world, to step into the batters box as often as possible?

The bottom line here is that, while Machado would be a middle-of-the-order bat on most teams, a combination of Machado’s ability to get on base and other capable bats the O’s have in the lineup make him more valuable leading off. It’s where he succeeded last year, where he should be this year, and where his skill set would be utilized to its maximum potential.

Just for fun, I’ll give you my ideal lineups (with J.J. Hardy on the DL):

Vs. RHP:

Machado, SS
Kim, LF
Davis, 1B
Trumbo, RF
Alvarez, DH
Wieters, C
Jones, CF
Schoop, 2B
Flaherty, 3B

Vs. LHP:

Machado, SS
Reimold, RF
Davis, 1B
Trumbo, DH
Jones, CF
Schoop, 2B
Wieters, C
Janish, 3B
Rickard, LF

OK, I’m done. Go ahead and tell me why I’m wrong in the comments section or on Twitter @ryguyblake.

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